2025 Mother Tongue Film Festival

2020 Woman In Filmmaking - Felicia: The Life of an Octopus Fisherwoman

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Women have always played a key role in the Mother Tongue Film Festival; they are often the first teachers of language—hence “mother tongue.” The 2020 festival sought to highlight female directors, writers, and characters as well as their role in uplighting marginalized voices. The fifth Mother Tongue Film Festival showcased twenty-eight languages from twenty-two regions, with five of the seven feature films directed by women. Many of the films highlighted issues that women face and their roles in Indigenous societies. We bring you two powerful films: Felicia: The Life of an Octupus Fisherwoman and Ainu: Indigenous People of Japan


Las mujeres siempre han tenido un lugar fundamental en el Festival de Cine de la Lengua Materna. Las mujeres y las madres son las primeras en enseñar el lenguaje y por esa razón usamos la frase “lengua materna”. El festival de 2020 buscó destacar a directoras, escritoras y protagonistas, así como su rol clave a la hora de resaltar voces marginadas. El quinto Festival de Cine de la Lengua Materna presentó 28 idiomas de 22 regiones, y cinco de los siete largometrajes tuvieron a sus directoras presentes. Muchas de las películas trataban sobre los problemas que enfrentan las mujeres y sus roles en diferentes sociedades indígenas. Te traemos dos películas impactantes de esta versión del festival: Felicia: The Life of an Octupus Fisherwoman y Ainu: Pueblo indígena de Japón.

Felicia is one of the thousands of Malagasy fishermen and women on the Velondriake archipelago whose way of life is increasingly threatened by poverty and political marginalization. As an orphan and later as a mother, she turns to the sea as a means for sustenance, even when migration and commercial trawling threaten small-scale fishing operations. Like many other women in Madagascar, she embodies a steadfast willingness to keep moving forward in the face of major challenges.   

 

Felicia es una de miles de pescadores y pescadoras malgaches en el archipiélago de Velondriake cuya forma de vida está cada vez más amenazada por la pobreza y la marginación política. Primero como huérfana y luego como madre, recurre al mar como medio de sustento, incluso cuando la migración y la pesca de arrastre comercial amenazan las operaciones de pesca artesanal. Al igual que muchas otras mujeres en Madagascar, posee una firme voluntad de seguir adelante ante enormes desafíos.   

 

  • Year
    2019
  • Runtime
    11:11
  • Language
    Malagasy (Vezo Dialect)
  • Country
    Mexico, Madagascar
  • Genre
    Documentary
  • Subtitle Language
    English
  • Awards
    2020 Jackson Wild Media Awards
  • Director
    José Carlos Pons
  • Screenwriter
    José Carlos Pons, Samba Roger, Felicia Rafenomanana
  • Producer
    José Carlos Pons
  • Co-Producer
    Samba Roger
  • Editor
    José Carlos Pons